Full fashioned knitting machine



June 2, 1970 L. BROWN ETAL FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 28, 1966 June 2, 1970 BROWN ETAL 3,514,977

FULL msnzoxmn KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 28, less 3 Sheets-Sheet June2, 1970 BROWN ETAL 3,514,977

' FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 28, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Uit id States Patent 3,514,977 FULL FASHIONED KNITTING MACHINE LeonardBrown, Nottingham, and Ernest William Booles,

Loughborough, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited Filed Aug.26, 1966, Ser. No. 575,298 Claims priority, application Great Britain,Sept. 4, 1965,

,897 Int. Cl. D04b /52 US. Cl. 66126 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA full fashioned knitting machine in which a pair of rigid yarndeflector arms on inter-connected rods are oppositely cam operated tokink yarn for drawing additional arm acts on the additionally drawnlength of yarn for accurate control during knitting movements of theyarn.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to straight barkitting machines and concerns the control of yarn in its passage from ayarn package to the thread carrier and the needles.

. Since it is usual for some slack to be formed in the yarn, there isusually provided snapper mechanism comprising yarn snapper arms whichare cam operated to grip the yarn, at a location in its travel from ayarn package to a thread carrier and the needles, and pull it backthrough the thread carrier to take up the slack. However there usuallyexists with this arrangement a disadvantage that such undue tension isapplied to the yarn that faults occur at the selvedges. In an endeavorto avoid this commonly assigned US. Pat. No. 2,898,811 discloses theimprovement of having an additional cam operated arm which, towards theend of each draw, i.e. when the yarn is locked to the needles by thesinkers, is operated to draw oif from the yarn package an additionallength of yarn, and thereafter to relinquish this additional length ofyarn to the needles as the yarn carrier moves inward from the selvedgeso that at this stage the yarn is substantially tensionless so thatselvedges can be satisfactorily formed.

While these yarn control devices provide what may be termed a coarsecontrol for the yarn it is found in practice that they do not controlthe yarn with sufiicient precision to cater for various minor movementsof the yarn which would be particularly advantageous such, for example,as during the knitting and fashioning motions of the needles andparticularly when the machine is require to be run of the yarn it hasbeen proposed to employ a spring wire yarn guide acting on the yarnbetween a yarn package and the. thread carrier and needles, but it willbe understood that this cannot be completely satisfactory since if thestrength of the spring is sufficient to avoid the slack,

'it will be so great as to apply undue tension to the yarn fed to theselvedge needle, and if the strength of the spring'is so small as not toapply too much tension to the yarn fed to the selvedge, it will not besuflicient to take up the slack.

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Another disadvantage of employing the aforesaid snapper mechanism isthat, when fashioning, the snapper arms must have a greater movement;for this purpose a fashioning cam, on to which the snapper arm camfollower is shogged for fashioning, has a suitable rise beyond theperiphery of the normal snapper cam at a location where it is requiredfor the cam follower to shog on to the fashioning cam. This hasnecessitated the snapper cam follower roller being spring biasedlaterally so that when the shogging action takes place the cam followerroller is urged against the side of the fashioning cam nose until thenose passes the roller whereupon the roller springs on to the fashioningcam. This is an undesirable complex arrangement.

An object of the invention is to provide control means for yarn in itspassage from a yarn package to the thread carrier and needles in suchimproved manner as to not only provide for coarse variations in theyarn, but also provide a more sensitive control of the yarn required forthe above stated reasons.

The invention provides a straight bar knitting machine wherein there isprovided, for acting on the yarn in its passage from a yarn package tothe needles, a yarn control arm which is adapted for resilient actionand is cam operated to alternatively allow substantially free running ofthe yarn during the draw and apply light tension to the yarn during theknitting motion. Conveniently the yarn control arm is mounted on a camoperated yarn deflecting arm by which the yarn is kinked to providesurplus yarn which is relinquished to the selvedge needles insubstantially tensionless condition for satisfactory selvedging.Conveniently also the cam operation is such that the yarn deflecting armapplies a brake on the yarn prior to a selvedge group of sinkers sinkingthe yarn. There may be a second yarn deflecting arm acting oppositely tothe first yarn deflecting arm to kink the yarn in opposite directionsenabling reduction of the first arms movements. The yarn control arm fisconveniently a spring arm pivoted on the first deflecting arm and has ahead formed by an elongated eyelet through which the yarn runs. A tailof the spring arm has an attached tension spring which may be mountedfor adjustment of its effective strength. Conveniently also there arestop means limiting move ment of the spring arm, and adjustment meansfor adjusting the relative positions of the different arms.

Conveniently during fashioning the yarn is under control of the springarm so that the usual rise on the fashioning cam is dispensed with andthe cam follower roller may be consequently of simple form i.e. notlaterally spring biased. The fashioning cam may have a small dip forsomecontrolled movement of the spring arm during fashioning. a

The invention also provides in a straight bar knitting machine, yarncontrol means comprising'at least one yarn control arm' which is camoperated between one position in which it allows the yarn to run withoutdeflection substantially freely and a second position in which it kinksthe yarn to provide a surplus thereof for subsequently relinquishing,and a spring arm adapted to provide resilient control for the yarn whenin the second kinked condition.

The foregoing and other features of the invention are incorporated inthe specific embodiment to be hereinafter particularly described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side view of yarn control means of aCottons patent straight bar knitting machine according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a similar view to FIG. 3 showing parts in diiferent relativepositions.

Referring to FIG. 1 the yarn control means shown is for a Cottons patentstraight bar knitting machine and is in general accordance with themeans disclosed therein to which reference is directed for full details.Briefly there is disposed, for control of yarn in its passage from ayarn package to a thread carrier and needles, two yarn deflecting arms1, 2 adjustably connected to separate rods 3, 4 which are coupledtogether by interconnecting arms 3a, 4a to impart oscillatory movementfrom one rod to the other rod in opposite directions. The rod 4 isoperated by cam operated means comprising an arm 4a on the rod 4 and alink 4b connecting the arm 4a to a cam follower lever 4c on which is acam follower 4d for operation by cams 4e, 4 on the machines main camshaft 4g, the cam follower 4d being displaceable from one cam to theother cam by a fork arm 471 and mechanism disclosed in said patent undercontrol of a selvedge stop mechanism. The arm 1, see also FIG. 3, inthis instance has a tail part 5 which is slidably adjustable in abracket arm 6 by use of screw means 7, and the bracket arm 6 is attachedto the rod 3 by clamping screw 8, allowing adjustment of the bracket arm6 and arm 1 longitudinally and rotationally of the rod 3. The arm 1 alsohas a downwardly extending U shaped head 9, FIG. 2, in a transverseplane.

The arm 2 is disposed under the arm 1 and has a tail part 10, FIGS. 1, 3which is attached to the rod 4 by clamping screw 11 allowing adjustmentof the arm 2 longitudinally and rotationally of the rod 4. The arm 2also has a transverse bar 12, FIG. 2, at one side of the transverse head9 and a transverse bar 13 at the other side of the transverse head 9,and two bars being interconnected by a bridge piece 14. Yarn from a yarnpackage is first engaged with a cymbal tensioner T and is then passedunder arm 13, over arm 9a of the U shaped head 9, and under the arm 12.

Mounted adjustably on the arm is a yarn guide 15 through which the yarnpasses from under the bar 12 to a thread carrier and the needles.

Operation of the rods 3, 4 and consequently of the arms 1, 2 issubstantially as and for the purpose disclosed in said patent withslight modification to be hereinafter fully described.

There is also provided a yarn control spring arm 16, made of piano wire,mounted by a pivot 18 on the bracket arm 6, and this arm 16 has a head19 and a tail 19a including a corrugated portion 19b to which isattached a coil spring 20.

The head 19 of the spring arm 16 is in the form of a verticallyelongated eyelet 21, FIG. 2, which is located between the aforesaid yarnguide 15 and bar 12 and through which the yarn therebetween passes.

The spring 20 is secured at a lower end to the bracket arm 6, and at itsupper end a loop of it is adjustable into engagement with any ofthecorrugations of the tail 1% of the spring arm 16.

There may he means to limit upward movement of the spring arm 16.

The two cams 4e, 4f are alternatively for operation when knitting andfashioning, respectively. The fashioning cam 4 instead of beingcompletely of large diameter is provided, at a location leading to thelarge rise R1 of the knitting cam, with a fall -F so that the cam[follower 4d when having a shogging movement imparted to it towards thefashioning cam 4 in fact moves directly onto this cam without the delayheretofore which has been necessary due to the fashioning cam beingcompletely of large diameter and which has necessitated the cam followerbeing laterally spring biased. I

In relation to the conventional knitting cam, the knitting cam 4e has ausual large diameter portion CPI, a usual large rise R1, a larger fallF1 and of less length,

a portion of CP2 of usual smaller diameter but of less length, and anintermediate diameter portion CP and a smaller rise R between the largediameter portion CPI and the smaller diameter portion CP2.

In use of the yarn control means let it be assumed that first a draw istaking place. For this operation the circular portion CP of the knittingcam 4e engages the cam follower 4d so that the rods 3, 4 hold theirdeflecting arms and the spring arm, with the eyelet 21, the bar 12, thebar 9a of the head 9, and the bar 13 in such substantial alignment thatthe yarn is in a straight line, as shown, so as to run free of anytension from these arms during the major part of the draw.

During the draw the sinkers are progressively advanced for sinking theyarn so that the yarn is locked by them to the needles, and towards theend of the draw just prior to a selvedge group of the sinkers, thedeflecting arms 1, 2 are slightly separated i.e. by the cam rise Rcausing the arm 1 to move a small distance up and the arm 2 to move asmall distance down, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3, so that theyarn is slightly kniked in a manner applying a braking action on theyarn. The object of this is to prevent the yarn becoming unduly slack inthe region of the thread carrier and selvedge needles which mayotherwise occur due to momentum particularly when the machine isoperating at high speeds.

As the draw continues at the end while the yarn continues to be lockedto the needles the large rise R1 of the knitting cam 4e causes furtheropening of the arms 1, 2 to kink the yarn to such further extent, asshown in FIG. 4, that surplus length of yarn is drawn from the yarnpackage. However it will be understood that the spring arm 16 takes somepart in this kinking of the yarn, as shown, and this enables reductionin the amplitude of movement of the arms 1, 2.

During the ensuing knitting motion of the machine, the needles knittingmotion has a small varying effect on the yarn leading to the selvedgeneedle such that if the yarn is not accurately controlled this can leadto faulty selvedges. It is during this motion that the spring arm 16performs the important function of accurately controlling the yarn, theresilience of the arms movements, indicated in broken lines in FIG. 4,being such that it will follow the needles motion thereby maintaining required accurate tension on the yarn throughout the needle motion so thatfaulty selvedging can be avoided.

When next the thread carrier starts to move inwards for the next drawthe fall F1 of the knitting cam acts, before the aforesaid action of thecircular portion GP, to cause closing of the arms 1, 2 so that thesurplus yarn is relinquished to the selvedge needles in substantiallytensionless manner, again so that faulty selvedges can be avoided andthis is followed by the yarn running free of the arms as aforesaid.

When fashioning after the cam follower 4d has been shogged onto thefashioning cam 41, the spring arm 16 again takes over resilient controlof the yarn so as to follow the fashioning motion of the needles, againenabling the avoidance of faulty selvedging.

However, during the re-transfer of loops for some needles to otherneedles, there is some positive yarn control by the fall F in thefashioning cam.

{X particular advantage of this yarn control mechanism is that it willoperate satisfactorily for all working conditions of the machine, thatis to say, irrespective of the type of yarn, the speed of the machine,the width of knitting, and so on, whereas the conventional snappermechanism cannot work satisfactorily under all these conditions.

When more than one yarn is being employed in the machine such forexample as in three yarn striping, the mechanism described will beduplicated for each yarn and the three yarn engaging sets, of arms willpreferably be located close together at the middle of the associatedknitting division.

What we claim is:

1. In a full fashioned knitting machine, yarn control means cooperatingwith spaced yarn guides and comprising in combination, yarn deflectormeans, means mounting said yarn deflector means for displacementstransversely between said yarn guides, cam operating means operablyconnected to said yarn deflector means for effecting said displacementsbetween a yarn-kinking position, at least to an appreciable extent atrequired times to permit drawing, from a supply, an additional length ofyarn at the end of each draw, and a following position aligned with theyarn guides for releasing the additional length of yarn at the start ofeach next draw and for the yarn to thereupon run straight between theyarn guides for the major part of said next draw, auxiliary resilientyarn deflector means, and means mounting said auxiliary yarn deflectormeans to be resiliently operable 0n the kinked part of the additionaldrawn yarn for resilient control of the yarn during the knitting motionof the machine.

2. Means as claimed in' claim 1 wherein said cam operating means furtherconstitutes means for causing said displacements at other times to be toa further yarn-kinking position which is to a smaller extent such as toapply a braking action on the yarn towards the end of each draw and toavoid slackeing of the yarn.

3. Means as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam operating means includesa knitting cam having a comparatively small diameter portion fornon-action on said yarn deflector means at the end of each draw, afashioning cam having a larger diameter portion and a fall leading to asmall diameter portion registering with said small diameter portion ofsaid knitting cam, cam follower means, and means for changing engagementof said cam follower means between said knitting cam and said fashioningcam at the registering small diameter portions thereof.

4. In a full fashioned knitting machine, yarn control means cooperatingwith a machine mounted yarn tensioning device and a spaced yarn guide, afirst yarn deflector arm carrying the yarn guide and including at leastone portion disposed for displacements transversely between the yarnguide and the yarn tensioning device, a first rocking rod mounting saidfirst yarn deflector arm, a second yarn deflector arm having a portiondisposed for displacements transversely between said yarn guide and saidyarn tensioning device, a second rocking rod mounting said second yarndeflector arm, an auxiliary yarn deflector arm adjustably resilientlymounted on said second yarn deflector arm and including a portiondisposed for displacement transversely between the yarn guide and theyarn tensioning device, means inter-connecting said rocking rods forproducing opposite rotational movements thereof, cam follower meansconnected to one of said rocking rods, a knitting cam having a camcontour for providing the required displacements of said yarn deflectorarms at required times, said contour including a small diameter portion,and a fashioning cam having a small diameter portion registering withsaid small diameter portion of said knitting cam, said cam followermeans being inter-engageable with said knitting and fashioning cams.

5. Means for controlling yarn in a full fashioned knitting machinecomprising main and resilient yarn deflector means, cam operating means,a first cam portion for causing said cam operating means to effectdisplacements of said main and resilient yarn deflector means an alignedposition allowing straight running of yarn for the major part of eachdraw, a second cam portion for causing said cam operating means toeffect displacements of said main and resilient yarn deflector means toa first offset position for the main and resilient yarn deflector meansto kink the yarn to an extent for drawing an additional length of yarnat a stage at the end of each draw and for releasing the additionallength of yarn at the start of each next draw, a third cam portion forcausing said cam operating means to effect displacements of said mainand resilient yarn deflector means to a second offset position forkinking the yarn to an extent for applying a braking action thereontowards the end of each draw, said resilient yarn deflector means, insaid first offset position, being adapted by its resilience for kinkingthe yarn in a resilient manner to allow for varying movements during theknitting motions of the machine.

6. A full fashioned knitting machine having in combination, a yarntensioning device, a yarn guide spaced from said yarn tensioning device,main yarn deflector means, auxiliary yarn deflector means, knitting andfashioning cam operating means operable on said main yarn deflectormeans and said auxiliary yarn deflector means comprising first camportions for causing said yarn deflector means to kink yarn between saidyarn tensioning device and said yarn guide to different extents at leastone other cam portion for causing said yarn deflector means not to kinksaid yarn, said auxiliary yarn deflector means being resilient forcausing resilient kinking of the yarn at required times, and means forinterchanging control between said knitting and fashioning cam operatingmeans.

7. A full fashioned knitting machine having non-snapper yarn controlmeans comprising in combination with a yarn tensioning device, a pair ofmain yarn deflector arms, a yarn guide carried by one of said yarndeflecting arms, a pair of rocking rods mounting said yarn deflectorarms respectively for displacements transversely between said yarn guideand said yarn tensioning device, an auxiliary yarn deflector armadjustably resiliently mounted on the other of said yarn deflectingarms, knitting and fashioning cam operating means operable on saidrocking rods for causing predetermined positive transverse displacementsof said yarn by said main yarn deflector arms and predeterminedresilient transverse displacements of said yarn by said auxiliary yarndeflector arm,

and means for rendering said knitting and fashioning cam operating meanseffective successively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT R. MACKEY, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R. 66-146

